Those who have (have) tried the Apple Vision Prothey are clear: it is one of the most impressive technological products in all of history. The ‘wow’ effect is inevitable, and in those first minutes when you wear them it seems impossible not to believe that a product like this should have a brilliant future. That this sensation fades is equally inevitable, and just over two years after its launch it is worth asking what could have gone wrong in a product as amazing as this one.
Price, of course, is one of the factors. But not the only one.
The Vision Pro as an engineering tragedy. Apple has gone from trying to revolutionize the way we entertain and work to leaving the project in the second (or third) plane. The hardware is impeccable, but the high price and lack of native content and applications have turned these $3,500 glasses into a niche product.
Dangerously modest sales. It is estimated that Apple has sold about 600,000 units in total of the Vision Pro, a ridiculous figure when compared to traditional iPhone sales and which is also very far from the sales of the iPad or the Apple Watch. Initial projections were optimistic, but demand ended up plummeting and Apple actually ended slowing down in production and changing the product roadmap. He hasn’t completely retired, of course, but everything he’s done sounds like the Vision Pros are on life support… or so it seems.
The updates keep coming. Although there are criticisms in other sections, something that is undeniable is the attention that Apple continues to put into solving existing problems and adding new features through the new versions of your visionOS operating system. It is true that in many cases the new features are modest, but they certainly show that Apple is not neglecting that part of its product’s life cycle.
The future is not Pro, but (maybe) Air. Apple ended up renewing the original model that was presented in February 2024, but the Vision Pro (2025) They were a modest update. In fact, the revision seemed more intended to clean up the inventory of components than to propose an ambitious evolution. It seemed almost pure commitment. It is inevitable to think that Apple prefers to focus on other products and segments, but that has not prevented rumors from appearing about a new and future revision of these glasses. The curious thing is that They will no longer be Pro, but Airand Apple is even looking for engineers with the theoretical intention of proposing a change of direction. That relief is expected —cheaper?— by 2027 or 2028. We will have to be patient.
Few native apps. Apple boasts of having more than a million applications available for the Vision Pro, but there is fine print there. The vast majority of those tools are rescaled iPad apps that float in 2D windows. The offer of native applications to take advantage of this interesting concept of spatial computing is scarce, and there is also no “killer app” that has managed to sell these glasses. Not only that: Netflix or YouTube didn’t appear at launch, although at least YouTube did launch its native version in February 2026. That the majors in the entertainment segment did not offer that support was another nail in this disturbing coffin.
Lack of content is a condemnation. But what is really problematic is that even though we are dealing with an absolutely wasted product. The photo demonstrations and especially the immersive video made us dream of a future in which we could also virtually “attend” live events from home. Concerts and sporting events seemed to be ideal to be enjoyed on the Vision Pro, but two years have passed and the offer of “spatial” content natively it is as visually spectacular as it is anecdotal.
A design that was born lame. One of the fundamental problems with the Vision Pro has been in its design from the beginning. The ergonomics of the product were poor from the beginning, and in fact it could have been worse: the “flask” in the form of a battery with cable that is necessary for its operation was a solution to avoid greater evils, but it was not exactly an ideal option. The ergonomics were not perfect either, and this was confirmed by the fact that with the Vision Pro (2025) Apple provided a different headband with two support and grip zones, much more suitable for long sessions of use.
Eyesight, what for?. Another of the Vision Pro’s mistakes has been the Eyesight technology, which Apple proposed as the solution to a problem that the company itself invented. Apple sacrificed weight, battery and complexity (in addition to cost) with that external screen that no one asked for and that is barely visible in normal light conditions. This cosmetic solution was intended to prevent one from losing “connection” with their surroundings when wearing the glasses, but it has probably been the most ridiculed feature of the device. He tried to avoid that feeling of total isolation, but the truth is that this product inevitably isolates the user.
Not even Apple conquers the XR market. In many ways Apple tried to overcome what virtual reality glasses offer, but the reality is that the advantages of Vision Pro are too expensive. The Meta Quest 3 have made it clear that for 500 euros you can have 70 or 80% of the experience, for example. Those who have tried to compete with Apple directly, such as Samsung with its Galaxy XRthey have also ended up leaving the product something abandoned and with hardly any distribution. In both cases, these glasses end up becoming an exclusive $3,500 (or $2,000) virtual external monitor. The experience is fantastic, yes, but that has not been enough to convince users and developers.
The Vision Pro as the “Lisa” of our generation. The technical milestone achieved by Apple is undeniable. The amount of technology built into the Vision Pro is astonishing, and it reminds us of another great product called apple smoothwhich was a failed product, but also a foundational product that ended up being the germ of the first and legendary Macintosh. The Vision Pro may end up becoming that: in the seed which ended up confirming that Apple’s ambitious “spatial computing” proposal made sense. We will see if the Vision Pro are really on assisted breathing, or the company is preparing a coup with those Air and with other formats that (hopefully) have learned from their mistakes.
Featured image | Romeo A.
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